Die Bahn des 1. Kentauren 2060 Chiron

(vormals 1977 UB und "Slow Moving Object Kowal")

Betrachten Sie die Chiron-Bahn im neuen 3D-Orbit-Viewer! (Java-applet)

Die Bahnen von Innen nach Außen: Mars (dunkelrot), Ceres (hellrot), Jupiter (lila), Saturn (goldgelb), Uranus (blau), Neptun (hellgrün) und Pluto (hellcyan). A = Aphel = Sonnenfernster Punkt der Chironbahn. P = Perihel = Sonnennächster Punkt der Chironbahn. Die Knotenlinie markiert die Schnittebene zwischen der Chiron- und der Erdbahn. Wenn Chiron an einem der beiden Knotenpunkte (aufsteigend = Bewegungsrichtung von Süden nach Norden; absteigend = Bewegungsrichtung von Norden nach Süden) steht, so befindet er sich mit 0° heliozentrischer Breite exakt in der Ekliptikebene. Chiron (dunkelblau) überkreuzt die Saturnbahn nach Innen, kommt aber nur in die Nähe der Uranusbahn. Die Kentauren befinden sich alle auf sehr unterschiedlichen und vorwiegend exzentrischen Bahnen im Bereich zwischen Jupiter und Neptun/Pluto. Chiron ist auch unter den Kentauren etwas außergewöhnliches, da er mit einem riesigen Schweif als einziger von ihnen ein sehr ungewöhnlicher Riesenkomet ist. (Bahndarstellung unter Zuhilfenahme selbst programmierter Software (OrBITs2000, © Robert von Heeren und Dieter Koch, München-Zürich 1995-1998) und den von der Internationalen Astronomischen Union IAU in ihren Circulars und im Internet veröffentlichten oskulierenden Bahnelementen).

The orbits from inside to outside: Mars (dark red), Ceres (light red), Jupiter (lila), Saturn (dark yellow), Uranus (blue), Neptune (light green) and Pluto (cyan). A = Aphelion (farthest point from sun). P = Perihelion (nearest point to sun). The nodal axis marks the intersection between the orbital planes of Earth and Chiron. When Chiron crosses one of both nodes (ascending = Chiron moves from south to north, descending = Chiron moves from north to south), then its heliocentric ecliptical latitude is 0°. 2060 Chiron (dark blue ellipse) crosses the orbit of Saturn. Chiron was the first discovered Centaur. At the beginning, no tail was visible. Therefore Chiron's discovery was announced as the discovery of a minor planet, hence it got a entry number for the minor planet catalog. After several years, the tail was discovered, so Chiron then got also a comet abbreviation 95P/Chiron (P for periodic comet). So Chiron has two "personalities" in astronomy: half asteroid, half comet - corresponding to greek mythology: half human, half horse. Charles T. Kowal, who discovered Chiron in 1977, named this exotic giant comet (it's a very unusual comet, about 15 times bigger than 1P/Halley and with some kind of cold vulcanism of methane and without water, which is very different to normal cometary activity. It's tail sometimes switches on and off and can reach 300.000 km length) after the healing Centaur in greek mythology. Because Chiron's orbit lies between Saturn and Uranus, Kowal decide to name 1977 UB after this Centaur, who's father was Saturn (Chronos) and who's grandfather was Uranos. Chiron remains a long time the only Centaur in the solar system, until in 1992 the second (but very different in composition) dark red Centaur 1992 AD was discovered by Rabinowitz, which was soon named after a friend of Chiron in mythology: Pholus (greek Pholos). This discovery of a second minor planet (Pholus is no comet, but also not an usual asteroid. It's some kind of a proto-asteroid/proto-comet) lead the International Astronomical Union IAU to the decision to introduce a new classification for a small and very unusual group of minor planets in the outer solar system, the CENTAURS, which orbits are more or less eccentric and are lying roughly between Jupiter and Pluto. It is believed that all Centaurs have their origin in the newly discovered "Kuiper-belt". Due to gravitational forces mainly by Neptune they where pulled on their current, unstable elliptical orbits. Most of the Centaur orbits are controlled by Saturn's gravitation. Only 1995 DW2 is controlled by Uranus and Neptune. And 1995 GO and 1998 SG35 are controlled by both Jupiter and Saturn. Allthough hundreds of Centaurs where awaited for discovery due to refined observation methods and enhanced technology, only seven further Centaurs are discovered until today. Their names are: 7066 Nessus (1993 HA2, the first minor planet, which was named by astrologers), 1994 TA (proposed name by me: Elatus), 1995 DW2 (proposed name by me: Asbolus), 1995 GO (proposed name by Dieter Koch: Teleboas), 1997 CU26, 1998 SG35 and 1998 QM107.

Hier gehts zu den Entdeckungshoroskopen (discovery charts) von 2060 Chiron/95P/Chiron.

Einige Daten zu den Eigenschaften von 2060 Chiron/Astronomical datas for 2060 Chiron:

Ursprüngliche provisorische Bezeichnungen/Original preliminary designations: 1977 UB, slow moving object Kowal

Periode/Orbital Period P = 50 Jahre/years

Große Halbachse/semimajor axis a = 13,73 AE/AU

Exzentrizität/eccentricity e = 0,38

Inklination/inclination i = 6,55°

Durchmesser/diameter = 180 km

Eigenrotation/Rotational Period = 5,9 Stunden/hours

Entdeckt von/Discovered by Charles T. Kowal on 10/18 1977 (first plate/Entdeckungsaufnahme) and 11/1/1977 first sighted (on plate/Bewußtwerdungsmoment).